The Happy Farmer Wanderer-Chapter 888 Hundred Trees Essence

At the moment the old man made his move, Li Qing acted as well, and the Soul-breaking Arrow swiftly passed through his palm.

The old man stared at the shiny cross-shaped hole in his palm, his expression frozen for a good few seconds, then suddenly he threw away his oil-paper umbrella, pressing his left hand violently on his right palm, and let out a sharp cry.

Though the cry wasn’t earth-shattering or ghostly mourning, it did a perfect job of mimicking a ghostly howl.

The palm was as big as a fan, which under normal circumstances was just an adjective, but on this old fellow, it was a realistic description; his palms were so large they seemed eerie, especially when compared to his thin, hunched stature.

It looked awkward no matter how you viewed it.

This was an irregular human being.

The Soul-breaking Arrow silently hovered at the old man’s brow, gently tapping it.

"Elder, no need to be so pained, why don’t you surrender instead? If you resist again, I might really make a move," Li Qing said.

Feeling the lethal threat at his brow, the old man suddenly raised his hands high, "Don’t, don’t make a move, I can explain this. I didn’t kill anyone, just injured someone, I can also compensate, these are small matters, we can talk this slowly, there’s no need for deadly intents."

"It’s rare for you to guess so accurately this time, knowing I had a murderous intent," Li Qing said with a sharp gaze and a faint smile on his lips.

On this old man, he suddenly felt what Jing Yan and the others must have felt when facing the people from the Wu Family.

This absolute sense of control was quite comforting.

However, even so, Li Qing still maintained a level of vigilance, not completely letting his guard down.

Sometimes feelings can be deceiving, and in a situation where it’s either life or death, relaxing one’s guard would be like respectfully handing over one’s own life to someone else.

"Young man, please don’t, I... I just lost my head for a moment, don’t be so agitated," the old man said, eying the Soul-breaking Arrow hovering in front of him, repeatedly giving an awkward laugh, "Since you all have come here, it seems this secret won’t stay hidden. I can tell you, as long as you spare this old man’s life, I haven’t killed anyone, you have no need to kill me, right?"

Li Qing subconsciously felt there was a trick, this old ghost’s words were a bit too pleasant.

He hadn’t even asked anything yet, and he had already blurted out the so-called secret. Was he afraid others wouldn’t know?

"What secret? Let’s hear it!" Li Qing cautiously stared at the old man and asked in a deep voice.

"There’s a spring in this village, very magical. I suspect it is the legendary Hundred Trees Essence," the old man said, winking and grimacing.

Li Qing’s brows slightly furrowed.

Five Springs Village was famous for its springs, and even its name came from these springs.

It was said that once, five divine springs had nurtured this place, their water sweet as essence, drinking it could fend off illnesses, strengthen the body, and even confer longevity.

However, many rural legends are exaggerated, perhaps there were just a few mountain springs with good water here once. Suddenly hearing about the legendary story from the old man, Li Qing felt a slight sense of unreality.

"Is it because of this spring water that you forcibly drove out the villagers?" Li Qing asked.

The old man with his eyebrows drooping nodded, "This was really a last resort. Those people simply wouldn’t be reasonable. They wasted too much. My original intent was actually to protect that spring water; I never really thought about monopolizing it."

"Whether you ever thought about it, you should be very clear in your own heart. There’s no need to explain that to me," Li Qing said gravely, "You’d better show me your sincerity right now, or I really can’t guarantee my Black Arrow won’t go through your dry old head."

"Cultivation isn’t easy at your age, I advise you not to do something you’ll regret for your life."

The old man raised his arm a bit higher, "I really haven’t lied to you. If I wanted to monopolize it, I would have sneakily killed them all, then found a powerful backer. None of you could have done anything to me, right?"

Li Qing hooked the corner of his mouth in a sneer, pushing his Black Arrow hard against the old man’s forehead, "I’ve got it now. You’re treating us like naive novices, thinking we don’t understand anything? Stealthily killing and then finding a powerful backer, what era do you think we’re living in?"

"Come on, I’m giving you this chance. Find yourself a backer right now, and let’s see how tough your backer is, whether they can compete with our Ninth Bureau!"

"Young man, don’t be so agitated," the old man leaned back slightly, with a chrysanthemum-like smile on his face, and said, "I know you’re people from the Ninth Bureau. Only agents from the Ninth Bureau could have arrived here so quickly."

"But what I said is also true. There are indeed many forces in this world that can compete with the Ninth Bureau. As long as there are sufficient benefits, plenty of people are willing to take the risk. The spring water formed by the Hundred Trees Essence is a rare treasure, enough to compare with the Earth Spirit Spring Water."

"While it may not make countless people go mad, it is still enough to persuade some to challenge the Ninth Bureau for this old life of mine."

Li Qing had to admit that the old man’s words made sense.

If the spring water created by the Hundred Trees Essence could match up to the Earth Spirit Spring Water, even if the old man killed everyone in Five Springs Village, as long as he was willing to offer up the spring water, there indeed were people who would ask the Ninth Bureau for this favor, even to the point of falling out with them completely.

Hundred Trees Essence was something Li Qing was hearing about for the first time.

But he knew about Earth Spirit Spring Water; he still had half a bottle of it in his bag.

It was something Xuan Chen Zhenren had obtained with great effort to save Long Eyebrow True Person, and later it was given to Li Qing.

Not only could that item help with cultivation but it also was a life-saving treasure, which Li Qing had always been reluctant to use.

However, although the old man’s plan sounded promising, considering the nature of those from the Cultivator Noble Families, most of them would think of killing for treasure first rather than opposing the Ninth Bureau for this old man.

It was a completely pointless act, something they would also disdain to do.

"Old man, you seem to think too highly of yourself. If you go through with this, the only thing waiting for you is a dead end," Li Qing said coldly, "I’m giving you one last chance, tell the truth, what are your real intentions? Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless."

"Young man, why are you so..." the old man sighed helplessly.

"Alright, alright, I’ll be honest, okay? First of all, I indeed wanted to preserve this spring water. Imagine a spring no bigger than a bathtub. Those people weren’t drinking from it but using it to water livestock. Which cultivator could see such a thing and not get angry?"

"I initially thought about buying it for private use, but the villagers were too greedy, demanding tens of thousands right off the bat. I didn’t have the money. Eventually, I had no choice but to resort to violence."

"I also knew that once I made a move, I couldn’t hide it anymore, so... I wanted to talk with the first person who arrived here."